I was joined by two intrepid souls today, trudging through
unceasing, steady, soaking rain all morning. It was decidedly
dark and wet, though not overly cold (low 40’s), and with only
occasional bits of breeze. Needless to say, birds were often
hard to come by. But we did have a few good birds.

Highlights:

Wood Duck – pair again in small pond at Rowing Club

Lesser Scaup – four males in slough

Mew Gull – dozens

Ring-billed Gull – at least 1

Sharp-shinned Hawk – one, probably male by size

Cooper’s Hawk – at least two I think; we had ~5
sightings of accipiters

MERLIN– perched on tall conifers around mansion

Bushtit – ~10 along boardwalk, our first since early
December

Brown Creeper – finally got a look, after thinking we
heard some several times

Cedar Waxwing – flock of around 15 flew NW

We had some notable misses – no finches at all, and a single
NORTHERN FLICKER was our only woodpecker. Other misses included
Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Lincoln’s
Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow. Did I mention it was wet?

Matt had car trouble and never made it to the park this
morning; in his absence it’s no surprise we had no owls. Of
course, if he read the weather forecast, maybe he had “car
trouble, uh huh, uh-huh”... Did I mention the unceasing rain?
[Nah. He’s willingly (stupidly???) intrepid when necessary, and
I hope his car’s health improves quickly.]

We had 9 species we didn’t have last week (all of the
highlight birds except Wood Duck), so our 47 species today
brought our 2018 list to 61 species.

It was a balmy 18 degrees when we started this morning, but the
weather was gorgeous, with no wind and plenty of sunshine. And
there were birds. Frozen ponds and streams means waterfowl
continue to be gathering in the slough and lake.

Highlights:

Gr. Wh.-fronted Goose
One in mixed goose flock
Snow Goose
Prob. same juvenile as last few weeks
Ruddy Duck
55 on lake, seen late
- 12 species of duck total -
Green Heron
One on near side of slough
TURKEY VULTURE
1 at Rowing Club. 1st winter sighting ever!
Cooper's Hawk
2, one caught a VIRGINIA RAIL :(
Western Meadowlark
Matt saw a group in NE corner

As we got to the boardwalk, we saw two COOPER'S HAWKS
interacting. As we approached the lake platform, one of the
hawks landed on the railing with a VIRGINIA RAIL in its talons.
We seldom detect rails in winter, especially when it's this
cold, so this was a sad shock.

At the lake, looking into the sun, we saw one merganser that
we thought might be a Red-breasted (which would be new for the
park), based mostly on impressions of shape, crest, and bill.
After the walk, I viewed the lake again, and found many Commons
but no Red-breasted. Photos appeared to show only Common
and Hooded Mergansers on the lake.

Also from the lake platform, we had seen a flock of ducks on
the water to the southeast that I couldn't identify at all. But
in my late lake scan I found the flock of RUDDY DUCKS that I
believe were what we had seen. Definitely a high count for that
species.

Generally, we then saw almost everything we might expect at
this time of year except gulls (only Ring-billed and GW today),
Northern Shrike, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Pine
Siskin.

We had a really nice morning at Marymoor today. Above freezing
to start, and warming in the sunshine under clear skies with no
wind. It was birdy on-and-off, though there were also
surprisingly long stretches with not too much. And much of the
birdiness involved only a few species seen in large numbers.

Highlights:

9 species of duck
Including a few Greater Scaup
Horned Grebe
At least 1 on lake
Western Grebe
3 on lake
GREEN HERON Juvenile along near
shore of slough
Virginia Rail
Heard from bend in boardwalk
Killdeer
Matt heard one pre-dawn
Western Gull
1 wh.-headed, dark backed, black wing-tipped, pink-legged
Northern Shrike
Juvenile again north of fields 7-8-9
Bushtit
Many sightings. Often high in cottonwoods
Y.-rumped Warbler 3 times had single birds
Pine Siskin
Single bird in an alder. Where are his friends?

The NORTHERN SHRIKE is frequently seen in the area north of
fields 7-8-9. Today’s views were somewhat typical though. We saw
the bird from the Viewing Mound, where we watched it fly from a
tree to a bush to a soccer goalpost to another goalpost and then
disappear. When we walked over that way, no shrike to be seen.
Last week we walked past that area, and I finally played shrike
calls. A couple of minutes later, when we’d walked on towards
the Pea Patch, someone spotted it perched up back behind us in
its usual spot. So this bird likes to hunker down a lot, but
seems to stay in the same location. Some day it might even give
someone a good look, but it seems shy.

For the day, 57 species (same as last week). For the year, 64
species.

0600 –
1300, Overcast all day, 39F - 41F. Pretty birdy – 45
species by the time we reached dog central. Good birds –
Northern Saw-whet Owl, Barn Owl – both early by Matt.
Horned Grebe on lake, Wood Duck, and good numbers of
sparrows. 56 species – not too bad for a chilly,
overcast January day.

Not a lot of bird action today, though it wasn’t cold, and the
rain almost entirely held off. Sunrise was spectacular though.

Highlights:

Pied-billed Grebe
AT LEAST 63 on north end of lake
Sharp-shinned Hawk Adult, juvenile
– First of Year
Cooper’s Hawk
Adult - First of Year
FRANKLIN’S GULL Probably same bird as in late
Nov., with Mew Gulls
N. SAW-WHET OWL Matt heard/saw 1 pre-dawn, east of East
Footbridge
Wh.-crowned Sparrow First since October!

So, just 49 species for the day. Four new species for the
year puts us at 60 (plus scaup sp. today).

== Michael Hobbs

Sunrise photos by Michael Hobbs

Male Ring-necked Duck preening the neck ring from which the species
gets it name. Usually, the wine-colored ring is hidden.
Photo by Ollie Oliver

Male Common Goldeneye in the slough. Photo by Ollie
Oliver

Female Common Goldeneye in the slough. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk with a full crop, crossing the East Meadow.
Photo by Ollie Oliver

Probably the same accipiter we left unidentified last week.
This week, we decided it was a Cooper's Hawk. Photo by
Ollie Oliver

Not the greatest weather in the world, but not bad. Fog
pre-dawn, really quite nice from about 7:30-9:30, then turning
dark and chilly with traces of drizzle and a sapping breeze
occasionally. But temps were above freezing (barely), the wind
often abated, and the precipitation didn’t even make viewing
difficult except for the flat light. It was birdy sometimes and
quiet others, but it made for a good day in all.

Highlights:

Wood Duck
Pair near mouth of slough
Western Grebe
Two out on lake
Northern Harrier
Nice adult male flew over Pea Patch
Sharp-shinned Hawk One at Rowing
Club
Cooper’s Hawk
Same bird as last week
MERLIN
On cottonwood in Snag Row
Virginia Rail
Again, heard east of East Meadow
Mew Gull
Hundreds swirling overhead
Barn Owl
At least one, just after 7, Viewing Mound
Northern Shrike
Three sightings, but probably same bird
Red Crossbills
Mansion area, Rowing Club, 50+?
Pine Siskin
Only ONE!

I never did send out a message to Tweeters,
since I left somewhat early to head to the airport, while Brian,
Matt, and the rest continued around the mansion and to the
Rowing Club. Gorgeous sunrise. It was cold, but not
windy or raining. The birds were hard to come by,
especially the small passerines, but ducks were plentiful in the
slough until the jetski sped down towards the weir...

Highlights:

Greater White-fronted Goose
At least 1 with Cacklers/Canadas
Nine species of duck
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Small (male?) landed in cottonwood along slough
Barn Owl
Matt had one very early around the tents
Lincoln's Sparrow
1 at the Rowing Club - seldom seen there

It rained hard at times, and water levels are pretty
high (5' reading at the gauge). There were some gusts of wind too.
But it was in the upper 40's, and we had some pretty long stretches
without rain and even a touch of sun. So the weather wasn't nearly as
bad as it could have been.

Highlights:

Northern Shoveler 4-5 in flood puddles
Northern Pintail Flock of ~15 flew south
GREEN HERON Back at Rowing Club pond
Peregrine Falcon Repeated attacks on Red-tail
Barn Owl Several early sightings
Hairy Woodpecker One at S. end of East Meadow
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Shrike Juvenile at N. end of E. Meadow
Purple Finch Several sightings

We had singing Black-capped Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, Red-winged
Blackbird, and House Finch.

We were blessed by several hours without precipitation
this morning. We had a beautiful sunrise, it didn't start misting until
10:30, and the rain held off until noon. Not too terribly birdy, but a
decent day none-the-less. Water levels are high, after all of this
rain - about 5 feet at the weir gauge. There were some large puddles
approaching the boardwalk, and the boardwalk itself was under as much as
4 inches of water in places.

Highlights:

8 species of duck
Double-crested Cormorant Dozens overhead towards lake
Green Heron Once again, at the RC pond
Short-eared Owl Matt had 1 or 2 early
Hairy Woodpecker At least two, seen pretty well
Northern Shrike Seen at 8:00 a.m., but not later
Cedar Waxwing 2-3 at Dog Central
American Goldfinch Good sized flock

Cedar Waxwings are rare in the depths of winter at Marymoor, so they
were a nice find.

For the day, 53 species. For the year, we're up to 63 species.

== Michael

Another great purple and orange sunrise

Hairy Woodpecker west of the mansion.
It looks to have worked these branch for a while.
Photo by Ollie
Oliver

Adult Cooper's Hawk next to the Community
Gardens. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Male Common Goldeneye. Photo by Ollie
Oliver

Originally identified (based on song) as a
Winter Wren, upon close examination
of the photo, it was determined to
be an iPod. Photo and joke by Ollie Oliver

Mew Gulls. Photo by Lillian Reis

Cedar Waxwings. Streaking on the sides
and flanks, as well as the absence of red tips on the wings, indicates
that the near bird is a subadult. Photo by Lillian Reis.

Report for January 8, 2009

The rain took a hiatus long enough for our walk, not
starting to fall until I got home. The wind, however, took no break.
In the early morning it was fairly calm, but the winds just picked up
more and more as the morning went on.

Flooding was the story today. At the 2nd dog swim spot,
water was clearly flowing from the slough to the interior of the park.
The water gauge read 6.2 feet at the weir. The trail starts to flood at
4.1 feet, so it was clear we weren't going to get to the boardwalk via
the slough trail. We instead worked our way around the south edge of
the Dog Meadow, but that meadow was also extensively flooded (just not
as deep). From the east side, we were able to get to the boardwalk,
which was flooded too, and almost got to the lake platform. At the
Rowing Club, we could not get anywhere near the slough or the dock due
to high water.

Birding was pretty slow, with both few birds and fairly
low diversity. We did manage a few highlights though:

American Wigeon One in the slough
Northern Shoveler One with Mallards on "SODA Lake"
GREEN HERON Atop the beaver lodge at the Rowing Club
American Kestrel Female this week, hunting the model
airplane field
Barn Owl Scott and Matt had 2 early, windmill
and East Meadow
Pileated Woodpecker Flew up the slough as we approached the weir
Northern Shrike Hunting in the Dog Meadow
Red-winged Blackbird Quite a few males with starlings and crows
Purple Finch Good looks at S end of Dog Meadow

This was just our 5th-ever January sighting of Green
Heron. We've seen Green Heron every week of the year except for 3 weeks
in January and February. But these winter sightings are quite uncommon
and quite a treat.

For the day, 47 species (same as last week).

Just got a note from KC Parks:

Due to flooding and standing water, Soccer fields
# 2 and # 3 are closed tonight, Thursday January 8. User groups have
been notified.

Flooding in the off-leash area has increased throughout the
day. Access will be restricted in some portions of the off-leash
park. Park Maintenance staff and SODA volunteers will erect signs
and barricades after evaluating the site tomorrow morning.

The Clise Mansion, Maintenance shops and administrative
buildings are not impacted by flooding at this time.

Ollie's photo of the Green Heron on the
beaver lodge at the Rowing Club

Report for January 10, 2008

Fourteen of us were out today, on a day that turned out
nicer that it looked at first. We were admittedly beset by random
drizzle squalls, but the wind seemed to blow mostly over us, and there
were long periods of clearing. The light could have been better, and
the birds seemed unhappy with the weather, but we didn't get soaked, and
it wasn't too cold, and we did see some birds.

The biggest highlight was one or two COMMON REDPOLL among a large flock
of PINE SISKINS near the windmill. Unfortunately, just as Brian was
trying to get the rest of us on the bird he'd been looking at, the whole
flock flew across the river to the east.

Other highlights:

Wilson's Snipe 3-4 flew east from ~ East Meadow
Barn Owl Scott had great looks early in the East
Meadow
Anna's Hummingbird Two along east trail
Northern Shrike Distant but well-seen, to the southeast
Townsend's Warbler 2+ NE and west of the mansion

Other than that, it was a lot of the usual suspects - three accipiter
sigthings, hundreds of flying Mew Gulls, several Cackling Geese, at
least 5-6 Bald Eagles, all the usual sparrows, etc.

For the day, 55 species. For 2008, already up to 66 species.

== Michael

Brian Bell found a Common Redpoll in this
large flock of
Pine Siskins near the windmill.

Report for January 10, 2007

We had a nicer morning at Marymoor than I was expecting. While cold and sometimes windy, it
remained well above freezing and didn't snow except for a few flakes. No rain either, and moments
of blue skies. It was even birdy in spots. Still, nothing truly notable showed up.
Highlights:
Trumpeter Swan Family of 4 flew over early, trumpeting
Gadwall 16 in a large puddle in the Dog Meadow
Red-breasted Sapsucker One near the windmill
Hairy Woodpecker One at the base of a tree, calling incessantly
Northern Shrike One atop a small tree in the Dog Meadow
Purple Finch 2 males, 2 females opposite Rowing Club
Western Meadowlark 2 near grass soccer fields
The GADWALL count is at least a recent High Count for Marymoor, by a long shot. They've been
relatively scarce the past few years.
There was a huge flock (200+) of AMERICAN ROBINS on the grass soccer fields, mixed with about
100 starlings.
The only geese we had was a mixed flock of CANADA and CACKLING that circled around for a long
time. They may have landed for a few minutes, but they didn't stay.
For the day, 54 species, bringing the 2007 total to 59.
= Michael